I've seen a couple from a distance and I have a quest specifically to deal with one of them but I'm too scared to attempt it yet! I too am enjoying exploring with few specific aims in mind. It's fun to scale a mountain, find a shrine or tower in the distance and simply head off in that direction.

I've only done a couple of them, but they were both really creative and entertaining. I don't think they truly replace dungeons because they're quite short, but they have a very different feel to the shrines. I don't want to say too much for risk of spoiling the surprises, but the final parts of each do feel like classic Zelda.

Finally did my first divine beast last night. It was great. So much of this game is beyond my expectations - not because I thought it would be bad but because I have no Zelda reference point, and in my mind I was expecting a sort of arcadey Skyrim. It's so, so much more than that. In a way I feel lucky that this is my first Zelda game as my knowledge of the world and characters is minimal, and the snippets of things I recognise from cultural exposure are being given meaning as I play, much like how (minor spoiler maybe but not really) Link recovers his memories of the world throughout the game.

The 10/10 scores aren't an exaggeration, at least not from my experience of the game. It's already up there with the likes of Witcher 3 and BG2 as one of my favourite games of all time.

When you get to a certain sacred location, you can take on the new "Trial of the Sword" challenge. Face an onslaught of enemies, one wave after another. Link starts the challenge without any equipment or weapons. When all the enemies in a room are defeated, Link proceeds to the next. Clear all the trials (about 45 rooms in total), and the true power of the Master Sword awakens.

Hero's Path Mode

This new map feature shows the path Link has walked through Hyrule from the last 200 hours of gameplay. Use the time tracker bar to see where you've spent the most time and where you have yet to explore. There's bound to be more adventures and maybe a shrine or two on the road less traveled.

Hard Mode

In Hard Mode, enemies gradually regain health, so take them out as quickly as possible. All enemies are also powered up by one level. For example, Red Bokoblins in Normal mode are now Blue Bokoblins. Enemies can also have higher maximum levels than they would in Normal mode. Look up, and you may also find enemies and treasure chests in the sky!

Travel Medallion

Somewhere in the world, there is a chest with a Travel Medallion inside. When you use this, you can register your current location as a fast travel point on the map. You can only register one location using the Travel Medallion.

More Armor

There are 8 treasure chests placed around Hyrule containing armor themed after previous The Legend of Zelda titles. Watch for tips as to the whereabouts of these chests as you travel around Hyrule.

Majora's Mask | Midna's Helmet | Phantom Armor | Tingle's Outfit

Korok Mask

The Korok Mask is also hidden in a treasure chest somewhere in the world. While wearing this mask, it shakes whenever Link is near a hidden Korok location. There are 900 Koroks hiding in Hyrule, so this should help you discover quite a few of them.

Terry Pratchett wrote:Humans would do anything to see if it was possible. If you put a large switch in a cave somewhere, with a sign on it saying 'End-of-the-World Switch. PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH', the paint wouldn't even have time to dry.

True, but don't forget there's a second DLC pack coming later in the year which includes a new story that's included in the price.

I was really hoping hard mode would adjust some game mechanics rather than just adding more difficult enemies. Honestly I think enemies hit too hard as it is; when I'm wearing my best armour (knight's helmet and greaves with 2 upgrades, hero's tunic with one upgrade), I still get hit for 10-12 hearts at a time by the nastier lizard enemies, meaning I need to dive into the food menu and eat something. What I'd prefer is for enemies to hit for less, but restrict how much you can eat.

If I'm honest, I'm thinking along the same lines. It's difficult to judge value before we know more about the second part. Still, I'm not desperate to start shelling out for DLC when I haven't actually finished the original game (I'm up to the point where I can start the third legendary beast, with around 55 shrines completed). I'm certainly not going to dive immediately back into the game once I do finish it so I'll be happy to wait.

I've finished the story and while it is hugely understated, I don't think it's poor. After finishing, it's worth watching the chronological ordering of all the memories on youtube to get a clearer idea of everything. Princess Zelda is really well done.